Final Report of the Polillo Butaan Project (1999-‐2010) 2009/2010

Final Report of the Polillo Butaan Project (1999-‐2010) 

2009/2010 

Daniel Bennett, January 2011

The Polillo Butaan Project was an 11 year investigation into the population of the 

frugivorous monitor lizards known as butaan (Varanus olivaceus) in a 2km 2 area 

of unlogged dipterocarp forest and surrounding secondary forests at an altitude 

almost entirely below 100masl on Polillo Island in the Philippines. The project 

utilised methods that caused minimal disturbance to the animals; principally the 

mapping of lizard dung and the use of camera traps and camouflaged hides. 

When the project came to an end in 2010 a total of almost 2000 butaan feces and 

over 1300 images of wild butaan had been recorded in the study area, and short 

investigations had been conducted in four other areas of the Philippines. The 

material generated data which allowed detailed investigations into a number of 

key aspects of the animals’ feeding biology and population structure on Polillo, 

and demonstrated empirically the animals’ role as a principle disperser of 

Pandanus and Canarium seeds. Although hunting of the animals in the area had 

almost entirely been eliminated by 2005, slash and burn farming destroyed at 

least 20% of the available habitat between 1999 and 2010. No corresponding 

drop in butaan numbers was recorded, and most butaan survived habitat 

destruction and moved to adjacent areas. Between 2004 and 2009 individual 

butaan were recorded in the area, including five large males, with weights of 8 

to >10kg. Away from Polillo we collected anecdotal evidence that strongly 

suggests that frugivorous monitors are almost or already extinct on Alabat 

Island, Quezon Province, and found evidence of new populations of frugivorous 

monitors in the north and west of Luzon. One of these populations has been 

described as a new species (Varanus bitatawa). The circumstances surrounding 

the collection of a butaan from Polillo Island in 2009 that was used in the 

description of the new species resulted in my decision to very sadly terminate 

this project. 

Image of southern Polillo from Google Earth. The Sibulan Watershed Reserve is clearly visible in 

dark green NNE of Polillo Town.

Field Work on Polillo 

Field work from Jan to June 2009 was hampered by continuous rain and 

consequent low rates of dung recovery, so a study of the movement patterns of 

the snail Helicostyla portei was instigated using spool and line techniques. The 

snail is the principle animal prey of butaan in the area. Fieldwork in 2010 was 

restricted to surveys of newly destroyed habitat and surveys around key 

resource trees. 

Team Members on Polillo Island, 2009-‐2010 

Training 

Students and staff from various universities in the Philippines visited the project 

between 2009 and 2010, together with visitors from universities in Germany and 

Ireland. The results of our study of snail movements was presented by 

Jeszianlenn Plaza of Fr Saturinos University, Butuan City, at the 2010 WCSP 

meeting in Legaspi City. Daniel Bennett gave informal lectures about the butaan 

to students at Fr Saturinos University, Butuan, Miriam College, Manila and 

University of the Philippines Los Banos. 

Project members on Polillo, west coast of Luzon and at WCSP, 2010 

Surveys outside Polillo 

Field surveys were conducted at Palanan, Isabela and withheld locations in 

western Luzon. Primary evidence of frugivorous monitor lizards were found at 

all sites. The locations in western Luzon represent the first records of V. 

olivaceus on the west coast. 

With the Born in the Wild GMA7 TV team, Palanan, Isabela.

Varanus olivaceus, undisclosed site near SW coast of Luzon 

Outputs 

Final outputs of this project with dates 

Online Polillo Butaan Database: secure access for future bona fide researchers 

(2010) 

Presentation: “Giant frugivorous lizards and Pandanus: seed dispersal and seed 

fate in lowland dipterocarp forests of the Philippine Islands” at the 5th 

International Symposium-‐Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal, 

Montpellier, France. (2010) 

Contributions to: Born in the Wild: Three part documentary for GMA7 National 

TV about Varanus olivaceus and V. bitatawa (2010) 

Papers and notes on the techniques developed by the project (in review) 

Papers on diet , populations, movement, seed dispersal, habitat (In review/2011) 

Tagalog documentary (with English Subtitles) “Pandan Biawak” (to be completed 

May 2011) 

Monography “The Butaan of Polillo Island” (to be completed 2012) 

Conservation Status of Polillo Butaan 

Despite our efforts, the conservation status of butaan in the study area is 

considerably worse than in 1999. A single individual, Nana Paz of Polillo Town, 

has been responsible for virtually all forest clearance in the area since at least 

2005. Some local landowners are aware of the important butaan resources on

their land and will preserve them for as long as possible, but all are subject to 

great financial hardship and gain little or no material benefits from their forested 

land. 

Recent destruction, July 2010 

The Sibulan Watershed Reserve is still almost entirely intact, although very large 

numbers of epiphytes have been cleared by forest wardens, a practise I have 

been pleading against since 2002. The only botanical survey in the area that has 

included epiphytes found a remarkable number of endemic epiphyllous hepatics 

(Robinson 1911). These collections were destroyed during the Second World 

War and I am unaware of any subsequent collections from the area. 

Forest clearance in the study area 2003-‐2009. 

Direct attempts at conservation in the area included; reporting forest destruction 

on an annual basis, systematic destruction of all traps set in forested areas, 

raising awareness of the plight of the butaan in national and international

media, encouraging local people not to eat butaan, to leave dogs outside the 

forest and to leave corridors around some key resource trees. 

I have not been able to verify reports that the Sibulan Watershed Reserve has 

been enlarged in recent years to form a Sibulan-‐Pinaglubayan local conservation 

area. Nobody in Pinaglubayan that I know was aware of the changes referred to 

in those reports as late as July 2010. Whether the newly protected area exists or 

not, it provides no buffer for the highly vulnerable edge of the primary reserve, 

except in an area of minor importance to butaan. The critical areas to the north 

east of the reserve remain completely unprotected and will doubtless disappear 

altogether without intervention. 

Recommendations 

There is an urgent and vital need for a protected buffer zone that 

circumnavigates the Sibulan watershed reserve and includes all remaining 

forests to the east and north. 

A few female Canarium and Pandanus trees are key resources for the entire 

butaan population in the area and should be afforded absolute protection and 

corridors maintained to connect increasingly common fragmented resources 

Outside Polillo surveys are for “pandan bayawak” are urgently required in 

surviving lowland forests of all smaller islands of the Visayas, Mindanao and 

Luzon groups, and well as suitable habitat throughout Luzon and Panay islands. 

The rapid survey techniques developed by the Polillo Butaan Project will work 

wherever frugivorous monitor lizards occur. However they can also be used to 

the detriment of the animals and for this reason have not been widely publicised 

and taught only to bona fide students and researchers. 

Circumstances surrounding the collection of KU 322187 

On 17 th March 2010 I became aware that a very large butaan had been collected 

from Polillo Island on 6 th July 2009 by Luke Welton, a student at Kansas 

University. I was originally told by Welton’s supervisor Rafe Brown that the 

animal had been killed by dogs in an unknown area of Polillo. Pictures of this 

animal in the description of Varanus bitatwa showed no sign of injuries 

consistent with this explanation, and indicated that the animal was alive when 

first photographed. 

I suspected that Luke Welton had made an unscheduled visit to the Polillo 

Butaan Project study area with the intent to collect a specimen of butaan vital for 

comparison with a specimen he had collected a week previously in Aurora 

Province and intended to describe as a new species. My request to Polillo Islands 

Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc to investigate the matter was refused, 

and I was told that it was my responsibility to ask local people what had 

happened. The refusal of Polillo Islands Biodiversity Conservation Foundation 

Inc. to make any investigation into the undisputed killing and export of one of the

largest butaan left on Polillo Island severely undermined the Polillo Butaan 

Project’s claim to have a strong conservation component. Without that 

confidence I was unable to continue. 

Figure from the description of Varanus bitatawa showing the specimen of V. olivaceus collected 

on Polillo Island, 6 th July 2009. 

I was not able to visit Polillo until July 2010, at which time I experienced initial 

hostility from people who had “considered me a son” since 1999. My team 

members had been informed that I was intending to have a local man who had 

been fundamental to my project since its inception sent to prison for killing a 

butaan. This information had been received by text to Polillo Island before 

Easter. Although they claimed no knowledge of Luke Welton, he had arrived at 

the Butaan Project Headquarters on 5 th July 2009 and left on 6 th July 2009, 

signing the guestbook and stating his purpose was “butaan and sailfin lizards” 

(page 14, Appendix III). I was unwilling to press my project staff further about 

this matter because the project was almost over and I love them very much. 

I made complaints to US Fish and Wildlife Service, asking them to autopsy the 

animal to determine the cause of death (Appendix IIa), and to Kansas University 

(Appendix IIb) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 

Philippines. There was no response from DENR and acknowledgement from 

FWS. Kansas University conducted an internal investigation that concluded “The 

absence of teeth marks or external wounds does not rule out that the animal’s 

death might not have been from exhaustion and/or internal injuries as a result of 

having been chased and harassed by dogs. I can only assume that KU researchers 

acted in good faith and dispatched an animal that was not healthy and potentially 

suffering from some fatal condition”. The investigation stated that KU322187 had 

been returned to the Philippines because it was a National Museum specimen 

(PNM9726) on temporary loan to Kansas. The PNM number was not mentioned 

in Welton et al. 2010, nor on the online catalogue of Kansas University (page 8 of 

Appendix 3).

Summary 

Frugivorous monitors are an evolutionary novelty, unique to the lowland 

dipterocarp forests of the Philippines. The ability of these huge lizards to evade 

generations of scientists is evident; It is quite possible, for example, that a 

species occurred on Cebu Island until the very recent past, but quite certain that 

one cannot exist there today. Finding surviving unknown populations and 

preserving corridors between their resource patches are essential to prevent 

them dying out entirely undocumented. There cannot be many animals of a 

comparable size faced with a similar plight anywhere in the world. 

Thanks 

To all sponsors, supporters and team members of the project, for 11 years well 

spent. 

Literature Cited 

Robinson, C.B. 1911. Botanical notes upon the island of Polillo. Philippine Journal 

of Science, C. Botany 6(3): 185-‐228. 

Welton, L. J., C.D. Siler, D. Bennett, A. Diesmos, M. R. Duya, R. Dugay, E.L.B. Rico, 

M. Van Weerd, and R. F. Brown. 2010. A spectacular new Philippine monitor 

lizard reveals a hidden biogeographic boundary and a novel flagship species for 

conservation. Biology Letters 2010 6:654-‐658. 

Appendix I: Announcement of the end of the project 

Appendix II: Complaint to US Fish and Wildlife and Kansas University 

Appendix III: Kansas University Investigation

Appendix 1: Announcement of End of Project 

Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 9:43 PM 

Subject: Polillo Butaan Project 1999-‐2010 

To: The Conservation Biologists of the Philippines 

Dear Colleagues, 

After 11 "fruitful" years, I am sad to announce that 2010 will be the 

final season of the Polillo Butaan Project. I am very grateful to 

everybody who has ever been involved, and consider myself fortunate to 

have made so many good friends as a result. Personally and 

professionally, this project has been one of the best things that ever 

happened to me. 

In practical terms, this means that this year will be the final chance 

for ecologists to visit and learn about the completely non-‐intrusive 

and non-‐destructive methods we have developed for the study of 

frugivorous monitor lizards. For those of you not acquainted with the 

project; we have been monitoring a tiny population of Varanus 

olivaceus in and around the Sibulan Watershed Reserve since 1999, and 

I think it's fair to say that no lizard population has ever attracted 

so much attention from humans, and suffered so little disturbance as 

result! 

I am very keen that as many field workers as possible become 

acquainted with our methods, which are, for the most part, very simple 

and inexpensive. In the past we have been lucky enough to receive many 

visitors with an interest in the conservation of these completely 

unique creatures, and I hope than anybody with the interest who has 

not visited will make the time to do so quickly. Please contact me at 

mampam@gmail.com 

It's been a huge privilege for me to have worked in this beautiful 

place, with so many wonderful people. I've never met a harder core of 

people with such selfless dedication to conservation, nor a group with 

such formidable obstacles to overcome. 

Daniel

Formal complaint about alteration of data: KU322187 from Daniel 

Bennett/Mampam Conservation 

to 

cc 

chancellor@ku.edu 

krishtalka@ku.edu, 

asawyer@ku.edu, 

gsimpson@ku.edu 

date 

13 May 2010 09:24 

subject 

Formal complaint about alteration of data: KU322187 

I wish to make a formal complaint about the alteration of data in the Kansas 

University Natural History Museum database concerning a specimen of Varanus 

olivaceus, labelled KU 322187, collected by Luke Welton, a student at Kansas 

University, on Polillo Island, Philippines, on 6th July 2009. Specifically, I allege 

that data was changed and falsified on the database in order to allay suspicions 

that this specimen had been collected illegally (point 6 and supporting material 

1&5 in the attached document, which has been submitted to US Fish & Wildlife 

and the relevant authorities in the Philippines). 

I request that Kansas University investigate this complaint and gain access to the 

relevant field notes in order to determine if data associated with this specimen 

has been fabricated. 

Daniel Bennett

Allegations about the illegal collection of a specimen of Varanus olivaceus from Polillo 

Island. – Daniel Bennett (mampam@gmail.com), 2 nd April 2010 

I allege that a specimen of Varanus olivaceus in the Kansas University Natural History 

Museum, specimen number KU 322187, was collected illegally, and request that the animal 

be examined by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in order to determine 

its cause of death and establish the circumstances surrounding its collection. If my statement 

is considered insufficient grounds for investigation I request that U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

withhold CITES permits allowing re-exportation of this specimen from the USA until the 

relevant authorities in the Philippines have considered my complaint and decided whether a 

formal request to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to conduct a forensic examination of this 

specimen is warranted. 

In making this very serious allegation I offer the following circumstantial evidence. 

1. Varanus olivaceus is a completely protected species in the Philippines; it is listed as VU by 

IUCN and is on CITES Appendix 2. 

2. On 29 June 2009 Luke Welton, a student at the University of Kansas under the supervision 

of Dr Rafe Brown, and others collected a Varanus lizard in Aurora province, Philippines. 

This animal is catalogued as PNM 9719 in the Philippine National Museum herpetological 

collection. On 6 July 2009 Luke Welton and others collected a specimen of Varanus 

olivaceus from Polillo Island, Quezon province, Philippines. This animal is KU 322187 in the 

Kansas University Museum herpetological collection. [1] 

3. When I learned that a specimen of Varanus olivaceus had been collected from Polillo 

Island, I immediately contacted Dr Rafe Brown and was informed: 

a. That he had been unaware of Luke Welton’s visit to Polillo in July 2009 at the time, 

and that the visit had not been scheduled. 

b. That he had been informed by Luke Welton that the specimen taken had been found 

dead, having been killed by a dog, and that under these circumstances its collection 

had been legal. 

c. That Luke Welton did not need a specimen of Varanus olivaceus for his research [2]. 

However my enquiries suggest that neither local NGOs nor DENR on Polillo were aware of 

Luke Welton’s visit, or that he had collected a specimen of Varanus olivaceus from the 

island. 

4. A paper published in Biology Letters contains a detailed description of the morphology of 

both KU 322187 and PNM 9719, and names the latter as a new species of Varanus lizard. 

The paper includes two pictures of the specimen KU 322187. The picture of the lateral view 

of the head strongly suggests that the animal was alive at the time the photograph was taken. 

The dorsal view shows no signs of injuries. The citation for the paper is: Luke J. Welton, 

Cameron D. Siler, Daniel Bennett, Arvin Diesmos, M. Roy Duya, Roldan Dugay, Edmund 

Leo B. Rico, Merlijn Van Weerd, and Rafe M. Brown. A spectacular new Philippine monitor 

lizard reveals a hidden biogeographic boundary and a novel flagship species for 

conservationBiol. Lett. published online before print April 7, 2010, 

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0119 [3] 

5. On 19 th March 2010 I became aware of the pictures of KU 322187, and I asked Dr Rafe 

Brown for clarification of his earlier statement that the animal had been killed by dogs. His 

reply contradicted his earlier statement. [4]

6. On 21 st March 2010 I noticed that the Kansas Museum Catalogue entry from KU 322187 

had been changed; the locality name had been altered, and the collectors’ names and county 

of collection had been removed. This change was made between the 18 th and 21 st of March 

2010. [5] 

7. If KU 322187 was not collected in accordance with the laws of the Philippines and the 

collection permits issued to Rafe Brown by PAWB, then the CITES permits under which it 

was exported from the Philippines and imported into the USA were obtained by deception. 

I allege that Luke Welton required an adult male Varanus olivaceus with everted hemipenes 

in order to describe PNM 9719 as a new species, and that he made the decision to collect a 

specimen for comparison as quickly as possible and by any means necessary. I allege that KU 

322187 was collected in or around Sibulan Watershed Reserve on Polillo Island on Welton’s 

instructions, that he went to that area knowing that local field workers were engaged in an 

non-intrusive study of the species and would consequently know where to find an adult male 

very quickly, and that he killed the animal for the express purpose of having a comparative 

specimen that would allow him to describe PNM 9719 as a new species. In order to comply 

with the permits issued to his supervisor, he fabricated the story that KU 322187 had been 

killed by dogs, and in order to deflect criticism that he had collected an animal which was part 

of a long-term ecological study, he fabricated the collection locality. Subsequently his 

supervisor Rafe Brown assisted in these fabrications by altering museum records and making 

false statements designed to discourage further investigations about the origin of the specimen 

and the circumstances under which it was killed. 

I further allege that forensic examination of KU 322187 will confirm that the animal shows 

no signs of injuries associated with a fatal dog attack, and that examination of stomach 

contents and/or DNA analysis will indicate that the animal comes from habitat in or around 

Sibulan Watershed Reserve. 

Supporting Material 

[1] – Catalogue entry for PMN9719 at Kansas University Natural History Museum: 

http://collections.nhm.ku.edu/HerpsWeb/detail.jsp?record=320000.0&column=0&styl 

eDir=style and [5] below. 

[2] Exerts from emails: Rafe Brown to Daniel Bennett, Nov/Dec2009 - full transcript of all 

emails given as [Appendix 1] 

from 

to 

cc 

XXXXX@ku.edu 

date 30 November 2009 18:22 

Rafe Brown 

Daniel Bennett/Mampam Conservation 

ambanjfurcifer@yahoo.com, 

subject varanus collab 

mailed-by ku.edu 

For the record and in writing here: we did not have definitive knowledge of the Sierra 

Madre thing, genetic data, or any plans to work on this until we caught a large adult 

male this July and only then did Luke (acting on his own volition after I had left the 

country) shift into high gear and track down all the necessary information and genetic 

material (from peninsular olivaceus, etc) that are needed to describe the animal.

from Rafe Brown 

to mampam@mampam.com 

cc XXXXX@gmail.com 

date 8 December 2009 12:29 

subject Roldan's specimen? 

I can't remember the name of the locality (I'll ask Luke) but I know it was an animal 

killed by dogs on the opposite side of the island from your study area, outside of any 

protected area. My understanding is that it was salvaged by Luke because it was 

already dead 




Keep in mind the facts: Luke wanted to look at molecular divergence and he already 

had a samples from an animal that my students salvaged from a hunter on Caramoan 

in 2006. Luke knew this and he was not desperate to get an olivaceus sample. Even 

if he had been desperate and keen to obtain a sample (as you seem to suspect), his 

approach is to collect non-destructuve genetic samples (these are the bulk of the 

genetic samples that are going into his graduate work) and skin snips of animals he 

releases. He does not have any need to have done what you suggest. 

[3] – Part of Figure 2 from the manuscript. 

[4] Extract from email: Rafe Brown to Daniel Bennett 



cc XXXX@gmail.com, 

XXXXXX@yahoo.com, 

ambanjfurcifer@yahoo.com 

date 18 March 2010 02:41 

subject Varanus olivaceus on Polillo

With regard to the Polillo specimen in question: I am sorry but many of the details are 

simply not available. We are not sure exactly where the animal was from nor how 

long it had been in the possession of the residents. We were told that dogs had either 

caught it or chased it into a coastal agricultural area to the north, either on the east 

side of the island or NE of Polillo (Burdeos?). I agree with you that the specimen 

does not show evidence of bite marks

[5] Catalogue entry for KU322187 at Kansas University Natural History Museum downloaded 16 th March 2010 from 

http://collections.nhm.ku.edu/HerpsWeb/detail.jsp?record=322187.0&column=0&styleDir=style 

Catalogue entry for KU322187 at Kansas University Natural History Museum downloaded 21 st March 2010 from 

http://collections.nhm.ku.edu/HerpsWeb/detail.jsp?record=322187.0&column=0&styleDir=style

Appendix III: 

The Inquiry Process of the Kansas University is reproduced in entirety on the 

pages below. My only comment is that only one of the large adult male butaan in 

my study area was marked with tail notches. The others were only known from 

camera trap pictures. 

Daniel Bennett, January 2011.

To: Steve Warren and Bill Sharp 

From: Dr. Donald G Huggins, Kansas Biological Survey (dhuggins@ku.edu) 

Re: Allegations about the illegal collection of a specimen of Varanus olivaceus from 

Polillo Island (Philippines) made by Daniel Bennett (mampam@gmail.com) on or 

about April 2, 2010. 

Dear Dr. Warren, 

At your request I undertook the Inquiry Process of the University of Kansas regarding 

possible academic misconduct involving the collection of a specimen of Varanus 

olivaceus (specimen number KU 3222187) from the Republic of the Philippines. This 

accusation was made by Mr. Daniel Bennett of Mampam Conservation and basically 

accuses KU scientists of illegally collecting a specimen of a rare Philippine monitor 

lizard. 

Mr. Bennett states, “I allege that a specimen of Varanus olivaceus in the Kansas 

University Natural History Museum, specimen number KU 322187, was collected 

illegally, and request that the animal be examined by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

Forensics Laboratory in order to determine its cause of death and establish the 

circumstances surrounding its collection. If my statement is considered insufficient 

grounds for investigation I request that U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service withhold CITES 

permits allowing re-exportation of this specimen from the USA until the relevant 

authorities in the Philippines have considered my complaint and decided whether a 

formal request to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to conduct a forensic examination of 

this specimen is warranted.” 

I first reviewed the information and material at hand including copies of the required 

permits, interviews with appropriate Kansas University Natural History Museum 

personnel and photos of the specimen. I concluded that these allegations have no 

basis in fact and cannot be substantiated by any of the information I had seen or 

heard. The specimen of Varanus olivaceus KU 322187 (aka PNM 9726) was 

acquired and exported legally under the permits (collecting, export, CITES) granted 

to the Biodiversity Institute by the Philippine government. These permits allow for 

the taking of salvage specimens which is what KU 322187 is listed as. 

I then sent my findings to both Dr. Rafe Brown and Mr. Daniel Bennett for their 

comments (email sent Thu 6/3/2010 2:27 PM). Both have responded to my initial 

findings by added new comments or information for my consideration. In this final 

evaluation of Mr. Bennett’s allegations I have added new information and my 

interpretations of the new comments made by both Dr. Brown and Mr. Bennett in 

response to my email of 6/3/2010. My opinion remains the same that KU researchers 

did nothing wrong and acted within the collecting constraints and conditions set forth 

in both their Philippine and US permits. 

In the following account I have broken Mr. Bennett’s allegations and statements 

down to individual points followed by the information I have at hand or my opinion 

based on all the information I have acquired during my inquires of Mr. Bennett’s 

allegations. 

Inquiry Report June 25, 2010 – Page 1

A. Mr. Bennett - Varanus olivaceus is a completely protected species in the 

Philippines; it is listed as VU by IUCN and is on CITES (included in Mr. 

Bennett’s Appendix 2). 

KU Biodiversity Institute has a Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau collecting permit 

#185, a CITES-2 collecting permit #13207A-2009 and a CITES-2 export permit 

#13394A-2009, all issued by the Republic of the Philippines, Department of the 

Environment and Natural Resources, under which PNM 9726 (aka KU 322187) was 

acquired and exported, and was subsequently imported on 8/13/2009 under 

USF&WS permit #2009457415. 

B. Mr. Bennett - On 29 June 2009 Luke Welton, a student at the University of 

Kansas under the supervision of Dr Rafe Brown, and others collected a 

Varanus lizard in Aurora province, Philippines. This animal is catalogued as 

PNM 9719 in the Philippine National Museum herpetological collection. On 

6 July 2009 Luke Welton and others collected a specimen of Varanus 

olivaceus from Polillo Island, Quezon province, Philippines. This animal is 

KU 322187 in the Kansas University Museum herpetological collection. [1]. 

According to KU members of this expedition, the account for the specimen of 

Varanus olivaceus, KU 322187 from Polillo Island is incorrect. Mr. Welton did not 

“collect” the animal from the wild. Rather, on July 6, 2009, he and other members of 

the Philippine field party, who were taking a 5-day vacation on Polillo Island, Polillo 

Town (home of the Philippine field assistants), were having a cookout on the beach. 

Welton was informed by a son of one of the field assistants that a resident of the 

village had a monitor lizard (Varanus) that apparently had been attacked and/or 

chased and harassed by a dog(s) from its natural forest habitat into the coastal 

agricultural lowlands. When Welton arrived at the residence, he found the monitor 

lizard unresponsive and close to death, whereupon he euthanized it and took two 

tissue samples. As such, the exact point of origin of this individual is unknown. This 

specimen was collected as a salvage specimen from the vicinity of Polillo Town. Dr. 

Brown has indicated that the salvaged specimen is not part of the KU collection as 

indicated by Mr. Bennett. The salvaged specimen was donated to the National 

Museum of the Philippines and was cataloged there under the catalog number PNM 

9726. Four month later, after being registered at PNM, it was brought to the United 

States on a short term research loan under permits issued by the National Museum, 

DENR, US Fish and Wildlife, and CITES. The monitor lizard in question is registered 

under KU catalog number 322188 only for the purpose of making associated data 

accessible to the research community through the distributed data base HerpNet via 

KU's Specify portal. The specimen is now back in the National Museum of the 

Philippines and available for inspection and study by anyone authorized by PNM 

(Philippines National Museum). 

Mr. Bennett later added that Luke Welton signed the guestbook (attached) 

at the house of Augusto Zafe in Pinaglubayan, Polillo, dated June 5/6 

stating that the purpose of his visit was “research butaan” [the local name 

for Varanus olivaceus] and "layagan" [the local name for Hydrosaurus]. 

This house has been the base of the Polillo butaan project since 1999, is on 

the edge of Sibulan watershed reserve and at least four hours walk from the 


coast. Thus it is clear that his visit to Polillo was not simply a vacation as 

KU researchers had indicated. 

The fact that Mr. Welton signed the guest book in Pinaglubayan (the acknowledged 

base area for “bataan” research) as he did only acknowledges that he and others 

were in the region (e.g. Philippines) to do research on monitor lizards, and does not 

imply that they were specifically in Polillo to do research. The fact remains that the 

specimen of V. olivaceus was salvaged in Polillo Town which is not a likely place to 

go to collect a specimen of this species. Had this been a purposeful attempt to 

collect V. olivaceus Mr. Welton and others would have been better served to stay in 

or near Pinaglubayan and the Sibulan watershed reserve to hunt for this species and 

not spend 5 days in the coastal town of Polillo some 3 kilometres from the reserve. 

C. Mr. Bennett - When I learned that a specimen of Varanus olivaceus had 

been collected from Polillo Island, I immediately contacted Dr Rafe Brown 

and was informed: 

a) That he had been unaware of Luke Welton’s visit to Polillo in July 2009 

at the time, and that the visit had not been scheduled. 

Dr. Brown is correct. Welton’s trip to Polillo in July 2009 was not “scheduled” for 

scientific work. Rather, it was an impromptu 5-day vacation from field work with the 

Philippine field assistants who lived on Polillo. 

b) That he had been informed by Luke Welton that the specimen taken had 

been found dead, having been killed by a dog, and that under these 

circumstances its collection had been legal. 

Dr. Brown is correct. The reasons for the lizard’s death are unknown. Welton 

merely repeated the account he was given by the villager about the Varanus being 

attacked and/or chased from its natural forest habitat by a dog(s). Whether dead or 

partially alive when acquired, its acquisition is legal under the collecting permits 

referenced above. 

c) That Luke Welton did not need a specimen of Varanus olivaceus for his 

research. [2] 

Dr.Brown is correct. Welton did not need a specimen of Varanus olivaceus for his 

research as he already had access to numerous specimens of this species in the 

collections of the University of Florida. 

D. Mr. Bennett - However my enquiries suggest that neither local NGOs nor 

DENR on Polillo were aware of Luke Welton’s visit, or that he had collected 

a specimen of Varanus olivaceus from the island. 

Non-government organizations (NGOs) have no legal authority over survey and 

inventory work in the Philippines. The DENR on Polillo Island is a local branch of the 

Philippine DENR that is the federal authority that issued the permits to Dr. Brown’s 

project. Welton’s acquisition of the Varanus specimen (KU 322187) was reported to 


the main DENR authorities and is listed on the CITES-2 collecting and export 

permits, and the USF&W import permit. 

E. Mr. Bennett - A paper published in Biology Letters contains a detailed 

description of the morphology of both KU 322187 and PNM 9719, and 

names the latter as a new species of Varanus lizard. The paper includes two 

pictures of the specimen KU 322187. The picture of the lateral view of the 

head strongly suggests that the animal was alive at the time the 

photograph was taken. The dorsal view shows no signs of injuries. The 

citation for the paper is: Luke J. Welton, Cameron D. Siler, Daniel Bennett, 

Arvin Diesmos, M. Roy Duya, Roldan Dugay, Edmund Leo B. Rico, Merlijn 

Van Weerd, and Rafe M. Brown. A spectacular new Philippine monitor lizard 

reveals a hidden biogeographic boundary and a novel flagship species for 

conservation Biol. Lett. published online before print April 7, 2010, 

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0119. [3] 

The relevancy of this point is not clear. Bennett is third author on the paper cited 

above in which the picture of the Varanus specimen KU322187 appears. As 

discussed above, the Varanus was unresponsive and barely alive when Welton was 

taken to see it north of the village. Its acquisition is legal under the permits issued to 

the project. 

F. Mr. Bennett - On 19 th March 2010 I became aware of the pictures of KU 

322187, and I asked Dr Rafe Brown for clarification of his earlier statement 

that the animal had been killed by dogs. His reply contradicted his earlier 

statement. [4] 

Dr. Brown apparently was merely clarifying an earlier communication with Welton. In 

any case, if the villager’s account is correct, the Varanus’ death was ultimately due to 

a dog(s). 

G. Mr. Bennett - On 21 st March 2010 I noticed that the Kansas Museum 

Catalogue entry from KU 322187 had been changed; the locality name had 

been altered, and the collectors’ names and county of collection had been 

removed. This change was made between the 18 th and 21 st of March 2010. 

[5] 

The locality information entered originally in the database was apparently altered at 

Bennett’s own insistence as third author on the paper for accuracy. In Mr. Bennett’s 

response to my initial findings he denies that he called for these changes. The intent 

is for the original locality data entry (“local coastal agricultural area, north of Polillo 

Town proper”), which is the salvage locale, not to be confused with the actual point 

of origin of the individual, which is unknown, as it had been chased by dog(s) from 

that point of origin into the village area. Similarly, the collector field is blanked 

because Welton did not “collect” the animal in its wild habitat, but salvaged it from 

the village. The complete Specify data record for KU322187, which is not accessible 

on the Web, lists the specimen as salvaged. 

H. Mr. Bennett - If KU 322187 was not collected in accordance with the laws of 

the Philippines and the collection permits issued to Rafe Brown by PAWB, 


then the CITES permits under which it was exported from the Philippines 

and imported into the USA were obtained by deception. 

As detailed above and documented by Republic of Philippines and USF&W permits 

in hand, the Varanus was acquired in accordance with these permits. 

I. Mr. Bennett - I allege that Luke Welton required an adult male Varanus 

olivaceus with everted hemipenes in order to describe PNM 9719 as a new 

species, and that he made the decision to collect a specimen for 

comparison as quickly as possible and by any means necessary. I allege 

that KU 322187 was collected in or around Sibulan Watershed Reserve on 

Polillo Island on Welton’s instructions, that he went to that area knowing 

that local field workers were engaged in an non-intrusive study of the 

species and would consequently know where to find an adult male very 

quickly, and that he killed the animal for the express purpose of having a 

comparative specimen that would allow him to describe PNM 9719 as a new 

species. In order to comply with the permits issued to his supervisor, he 

fabricated the story that KU 322187 had been killed by dogs, and in order to 

deflect criticism that he had collected an animal which was part of a longterm 

ecological study, he fabricated the collection locality. Subsequently 

his supervisor Rafe Brown assisted in these fabrications by altering 

museum records and making false statements designed to discourage 

further investigations about the origin of the specimen and the 

circumstances under which it was killed. 

This story is not supported by any facts known to this reviewer and is pure 

speculation on Mr. Bennett’s part. In a prior conversation Dr. Brown had 

communicated with Mr. Bennett that the specimen in question had none of the 

unique markings Mr. Bennett used to identify Varanus individuals that were a part of 

Mr. Bennett’s long-term studies in the Sibulan Watershed Reserve region. Dr. 

Brown has provided four photos of the specimen in question and these photos prove 

that the animal did not come from Mr.Bennett's field site where all subjects bear 

distinct tail-crest clippings for identification. Thus, Bennett not only has no legal 

authority or jurisdiction over this specimen, but he also has no factual basis to his 

purportedly moral/ethical complaint. 

J. Mr. Bennett - I further allege that forensic examination of KU 322187 will 

confirm that the animal shows no signs of injuries associated with a fatal 

dog attack, and that examination of stomach contents and/or DNA analysis 

will indicate that the animal comes from habitat in or around Sibulan 

Watershed Reserve. 

Whether or not the Varanus died of a “fatal dog attack” is immaterial with regard to 

the legality of its acquisition in the Polillo village area or its original provenance in the 

wild, which is unknown. That said, the villager’s account that was related to me by 

KU scientists implies the lizard did die, eventually, from being attacked and /or 

chased by dog(s). The absence of teeth marks or external wounds does not rule out 

that the animal’s death might not have been from exhaustion and/or internal injuries 

as a result of having been chased and harassed by dogs. I can only assume that KU 

researchers acted in good faith and dispatched an animal that was not healthy and 


potentially suffering from some fatal condition. If Mr. Bennett wishes to further 

pursue the cause of death of this specimen he may wish to contact PNM since this 

specimen is now in their collections. 

For following points the above explanations will suffice. 

Mr. Bennett’s Supporting Material 

[1] – Catalogue entry for PMN9719 at Kansas University Natural History Museum: 

http://collections.nhm.ku.edu/HerpsWeb/detail.jsp?record=320000.0&column=0&styl 

eDir=style and [5] below. 

[2] Exerts from emails: Rafe Brown to Daniel Bennett, Nov/Dec2009 full transcript of 

all emails given as [Appendix 1] 


to Daniel Bennett/Mampam Conservation 

cc ambanjfurcifer@yahoo.com, 

XXXXX@ku.edu 

date 30 November 2009 18:22 

subject varanus collab 

mailed-by ku.edu 

For the record and in writing here: we did not have definitive knowledge of the Sierra 

Madre thing, genetic data, or any plans to work on this until we caught a large adult 

male this July and only then did Luke (acting on his own volition after I had left the 

country) shift into high gear and track down all the necessary information and genetic 

material (from peninsular olivaceus, etc) that are needed to describe the animal. 



cc XXXXX@gmail.com 


subject Roldan's specimen? 

I can't remember the name of the locality (I'll ask Luke) but I know it was an animal 

killed by dogs on the opposite side of the island from your study area, outside of any 

protected area. My understanding is that it was salvaged by Luke because it was 

already dead 




Keep in mind the facts: Luke wanted to look at molecular divergence and he already 

had a samples from an animal that my students salvaged from a hunter on 

Caramoan in 2006. Luke knew this and he was not desperate to get an olivaceus 

sample. Even if he had been desperate and keen to obtain a sample (as you seem 

to suspect), his approach is to collect non-destructuve genetic samples (these are 


the bulk of the genetic samples that are going into his graduate work) and skin snips 

of animals he releases. He does not have any need to have done what you suggest. 

[3] – Part of Figure 2 from the manuscript. 

[4] Extract from email: Rafe Brown to Daniel Bennett 



cc XXXX@gmail.com, 

XXXXXX@yahoo.com, 

ambanjfurcifer@yahoo.com 

date 18 March 2010 02:41 

subject Varanus olivaceus on Polillo 

With regard to the Polillo specimen in question: I am sorry but many of the details 

are simply not available. We are not sure exactly where the animal was from nor 

how long it had been in the possession of the residents. We were told that dogs had 

either caught it or chased it into a coastal agricultural area to the north, either on the 

east side of the island or NE of Polillo (Burdeos?). I agree with you that the 

specimen does not show evidence of bite marks 


[5] Catalogue entry for KU322187 at Kansas University Natural History Museum downloaded 16 th March 2010 from 


Catalogue entry for KU322187 at Kansas University Natural History Museum downloaded 21 st March 2010 from 



PNM 9726.png 


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Appendix I: Complainant comments regarding Inquiry Report 

Dear Don Huggins 

Thank you for your email and the copy of your inquiry. I have six comments which I 

would like you to attach to the report. 

A. Your report states that " on July 6, 2009, he [Luke Welton] and other members 

of the Philippine field party, who were taking a 5-day vacation on Polillo 

Island, Polillo Town (home of the Philippine field assistants), were having a 

cookout on the beach". 

However, Luke Welton signed the guestbook (attached) at the house of Augusto Zafe in Pinaglubayan, 

Polillo, dated June 5/6 stating that the purpose of his visit was “research butaan [the local name for 

Varanus olivaceus] and "layagan" [the local name for Hydrosaurus]. This house has been the base of 

the Polillo butaan project since 1999, is on the edge of Sibulan watershed reserve and at least four 

hours walk from the coast. Thus it is clear that his visit to Polillo was not simply a vacation and 

indicates that your comment : 

Welton’s trip to Polillo in July 2009 was not “scheduled” for scientific work. 

Rather, it was an impromptu 5-day vacation from field work with the Philippine 

field assistants who lived on Polillo. 

is not entirely correct. He clearly went to Polillo looking for Varanus olivaceus. This 

evidence was not available at the time I made my complaint 

b 

The reasons for the lizard’s death are unknown. Welton merely repeated the 

account he was given by the villager about the Varanus being attacked and/or 

chased from its natural forest habitat by a dog(s). Whether dead or partially 

alive when acquired, its acquisition is legal under the collecting permits 

referenced above. 

As your report states, the cause of the lizard's death is that Luke Welton euthanized it. 

As all field workers with experience of these animals are aware, they often feign 

death when handled, and so an unresponsive animal is not necessarily "partially 

alive". 

c 

Welton did not need a specimen of Varanus olivaceus for his research as he 

already had access to numerous specimens of this species in the collections 

of the University of Florida. 

As far as I am aware there are no intact specimens of this species with locality data in 

the University of Florida collection (specimens with such data are represented only by 

severed heads) , and certainly no adult males with everted hemipenes that would have 

been suitable for comparison with Varanus bitatawa. Nor is DNA material available 

from any specimen in that collection. 

d 

The relevance of my statement that begins "A paper published in Biology Letters 

Appendix I: Complainant Response to Inquiry Report – Page 1

contains" is that the picture in the paper show that KU322187 was an animal in 

excellent condition, with no apparent injuries and with no evidence of dehydration. 

Anybody experienced with this species is aware that 1) dogs cannot lick them to death 

and 2) that the animals show signs of dehydration after less than 24 hours in captivity. 

e 

The locality information entered originally in the database was apparently 

altered at Bennett’s own insistence (as third author on the paper) for 

accuracy. 

I absolutely deny that I suggested that the database be altered. 

f. 

The absence of teeth marks or external wounds does not rule out that the 

animal’s death might not have been from exhaustion and/or internal injuries 

as a result of having been chased and harassed by dogs. 

In 11 years experience of this species, and over 20 years experience with this genus, I 

have never heard of a monitor lizard dying from exhaustion, nor seen one that has 

been mortally wounded by dogs internally but bears no external marks of dogs attack. 

This is an extraordinary statement that will be greeted with incredulity by anybody 

with experience of the animals, and which confirms my belief that only an 

independent necropsy of this animal will establish whether it had incurred any serious 

injuries prior to being euthanized. 

Yours 

(Dr) Daniel Bennett 


Extract from the guestbook at the house of Augusto Zafe, Pinaglubayan, Polillo 


Appendix II: Respondent comments regarding Inquiry Report 

From: Brown, Rafe 

Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2010 12:17 PM 

To: Huggins, Donald G 

Cc: Krishtalka, Leonard; Yochim, Jordan 

Subject: photos of Varanus 

Dear Don, 

Here are the photos we took yesterday. Note also that Bennett incorrectly characterizes the 

specimen as the property of KU. 

In fact, it is not. When salvaged, the specimen was donated to the National Museum of the 

Philippines and was cataloged there under the catalog number PNM 9726. Four month later, 

after being registered at PNM, it was brought to the United States on a short term research loan 

under permits issued by the National Museum, DENR, US Fish and Wildlife, and CITES. 

This series of events has been documented by US and Philippine government permits and stands 

in stark contrast to the picture Bennett wants to paint, i.e., that the animal was poached from his 

study area, spirited away in some clandestine cover-up operation, immediately exported by us, 

and became the property of KU. One of the reasons I suspect Bennett is so convinced of a 

conspiracy is that he has never actually held valid research permits in the Philippines and does 

not understand the permit system, much less the terms of my permits (which allow us to collect 

CITES Appendix II species, whether he likes it or not, and salvage any dead or dying animal in 

the Philippines, regardless of its conservation status). 

In fact, the monitor lizard in question is registered under KU catalog number 322188 only for the 

purpose of making associated data accessible to the research community (unfortunately, even to 

people like Bennett) through the distributed data base HerpNet via KU's Specify portal. All 

specimens we collect or salvage are assigned one of these KU numbers so that they can all be 

made available to the public via the internet. In accordance with our permits, 50% of all 

specimens collected or salvaged by us are then returned to the Philippines. However, the 

specimen in question was originally cataloged at PNM and was never meant to be permanently 

exported to the US. 

In any case, these photos definitely prove that the animal did not come from Bennett's field site 

where all subjects bear distinct tail-crest clippings for identification. PNM 9726 does not bear 

one of his distinctive tail clipping markings (note its uninterrupted tail crest). Thus, Bennett not 

only has no legal authority or jurisdiction over this specimen, but he also has no factual basis to 

his purportedly moral/ethical complaint. The bottom line is that the terms of my permits are not 

subject to his interpretation but are, instead, decided upon by negotiations between the 

government of the Philippines and me. 

Appendix II: Respondent comments regarding Inquiry Report – Page 1

Thanks again for your attention to these details; I'll have email every couple of days during my 

upcoming trip, so if you need any additional information from me, don't hesitate to write. 

Thanks, 

Rafe 

-- 

________________________________________________________ 

Dr. Rafe M. Brown 

Curator in Charge, Herpetology, KU Biodiversity Institute 

Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 

University of Kansas 

Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd 

Lawrence, KS 66045-7593 

office: (785) 864-3403 

FAX (785) 864-5335 

Lab Webpage: http://www.nhm.ku.edu/rbrown/ 

KU Herpetology: http://www.nhm.ku.edu/herpetology 

HerpWatch Philippines: http://www.herpwatch.org/ 

Email: rafe@ku.edu 

________________________________________________________ 


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Final Report of the Polillo Butaan Project (1999-‐2010) 2009/2010